Measles

This is a viral disease that is capable of spreading from one person to another. It is most common in the lives of children especially babies. It is also referred to as rubeolla or rubella in Germany. Others call it mobilli. It infects the respiratory system. When one gets into contact with fluids such as saliva from an infected person, then you will also get infected. This is very dangerous when it comes to viral diseases since they spread very rapidly and cause deaths.

Human beings are the carriers of measles. Patients suffering from measles are isolated from those non-infected though in some states this may be termed as inhuman. This is the best way to prevent further spread hence save more lives. Then the person can be allowed to mingle with other people after confirmation of full recovery.

Measles has many signs that you can detect. The symptoms are noted after a week or some more few days after exposure to the virus carrying measles. The symptoms of Measles include:

Shivering. The suspected infected person may shiver a lot in cold than normal.

White spots in the mouth. If small white spots are detected in the mouth then you should seek more medical examination. The spots can also be red.

Body

rashes. These rashes are the best indication of measles. These are common on the legs at first. Then they spread to the upper parts of the body. The rashes are usually reddish. Some blue spots may also appear on the body. After some few days, the rashes begin to fade and then they disappear.

Fever. This comes along with abnormally high temperatures.

Coughs. Mostly look for a dry cough.

If as a parent you notice the above in your child, visit your doctor along with the child for more cross examination. It may involve an x-ray of the chest and blood sample tests. Never try to treat the infected person on your own. You may give the wrong medication and bad dosage. An overdose of a drug may lead to death.

When your doctor confirms that it is measles, you will be provided with the correct medication and can be administered from home. If there are complications developed, your doctor will approve of hospitalization for further treatment and close checkup. The diet should be special. This is for quicker recovery. Since measles causes dehydration, make sure that you provide fresh juice in the diet of the patient. Fruits such as oranges and citrus are recommended as they have lots of juice. This will supplement water lost by the patient. Vitamin A is also necessary so include carrots while preparing a meal for your patient. You should allow the patient to have more bed rest.

There are prevention measures taken to reduce infection of measles and its spread. This is better than cure. The best way is vaccination. After a baby is born, the vaccine should be administered at least when the baby is fifteen months old. This gives the baby immunity from future infection of measles. Also disinfect the infected child’s clothing and beddings. The utensils your infected child will use should be isolated from the rest. This reduces spread of the measles virus to other infants around.

If a child does not get immunization early enough, then he or she will be at a very high risk of getting infected especially at school or playing grounds in case there is someone infected there. This is because of lack of immunity to the virus causing measles. Coughing and sneezing are the major ways through which the virus can be transmitted from one person to another.

If measles is not detected and treated early enough, your child may end up suffering from:

Pneumonia. Pneumonia can kill in a very short period of time. It causes inflammation of the lungs. The symptoms include coughing with production of colored mucus usually yellow or green. Blood samples can also be found after a cough in mucus. Chest pains will also prevail. The disease can be diagnosed by taking of an x-ray of the chest. Treatment is effective if detected early enough.

Bronchitis. This is related with pneumonia but it causes inflammation of the bronchi. The signs are similar to those of pneumonia

Ear infections. This is notable by ear aches.

Eye infection. This is usually referred to as conjunctivitis.

These diseases are harder to handle. So it is advised to quickly treat measles before it grows into developing further complications. Never make conclusions before visiting a doctor as your findings may be deceiving.

If you think the article is Worth Reading then Share and Spread the Goodness.